《The Element's Plane》


 The Flame Prodigy

    The sun hung in the dusty air pronouncing the heat for the battle to take place. The two combatants stood across from each other. The condensation only came from sweat as it dripped down the boy¡¯s neck. He lay on the west side of the arena. His body focused, but barely visible as the sun glistened off his sweat. His green eyes looked to his opponent just smiling there. Everyone focused on them as the arena fell silent anticipating the match.


    The muscular man wearing only black and white pants entered from the center.


    "Alrighty folks, are you ready? The Quarter-Final match is about to begin!" His lungs carried, even without the communication cubes help, be it how badly the CC was worn was another matter.


    "Without further ado let us introduce our contestants for those out of towners who haven''t been following the tourney up till now! On the west end" his piecing low voice carrying as he gestured towards the boy with the silver eyes and lurid, reddish-yellow, hair, "Is the wind pilot, NENOS!"


    The audience''s anger was directed toward Nenos as the audience hoped to throw multiple items at him in the arena but was stopped but the veil cube surrounding the center.


    "And in the East corner, the prodigy of the Reisode household, AGNI!"


    The audience''s hopes were a little too obvious based on the amount of cheers that seemed to flow towards Agni.


    The two combatants walked toward the center of the ring, not losing eye contact with one another, afraid to show weakness in the slightest. They reached the referee and held the center of their chest. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! Their hearts exerted as a 15 cm paper plane came out. They held it aloof to the audience. Nenos''s yellow plane had clean edges around the sides, the only tips notable were the back two folds that grew like a mountain when the approached the ends, and of course the tip of the plane was the heaviest part.


    As Agni held up his plane and looked to Nenos he instantly knew how fast he would need to end this battle if he wanted to stand a chance. As his red plane was much more of a straight and less wide plane compared to Nenos. He would have greater strength, but a great deal of less time to use it. His plane was focused on the tip, utilized for high energy in the speed it gets; the tips of the wings being folded up would help this as well. He didn''t have long to think though as the buffy referee voice pieced the crowd and deafened the combatants ears once again.


    "The planes have been received; the combatants will now proceed back to their starting positions!" The referee stated hyping the audience up as the battle was about to begin.


    The walk to the start never felt right for Nenos. Having someone else hold his plane much like they would hold a toy, like they did not care if they broke or not always made him worry. Even if it was just a slight amount of time it still concerned him.


    Still he showed no weakness as he walked.


    They turned to face each other, Nenos''s body glistening as the sweat ran down his arm waiting of the countdown to begin. The referee had kept the crowd waiting long enough as the countdown began, it chime rang throughout the arena.


    "10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! CLANG!"


    That was it, that was the start of the match without a moment¡¯s hesitation to when the chime went off did the combatants waste any time. Angi''s legs burst into flame, his plane shining like a brilliant crystal in the sun, he charged straight to Nenos, who was running a breakneck speed. When Agni closed in on his target he instantly switched the flames to cover his arms. He was certain that if he just got off one strong hit, as scrawny as Nenos was the damage might end the battle. But just as he was about land a punch the wind picked up, as Nenos plane did a spiral in the air so did he. Nenos was above Agni spinning so fast, he could have been the conductor of a tornado, as his foot landed on Agni''s arm his flames flared to damage it. The speed however on which his leg was moving did enough damage to crack the bone. Both of them were thrown back at a great speed. Nenos had not seen such a worthy foe for quite some time.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.Agni stood strong, his arms still engulfed in flames, he showed no weakness even if he desperately wanted to grip his arm in agony. He knew he didn''t have as long as he would''ve hoped to have; his planes glistened showed that much off. Agni had to damage Nenos before the plane fell. Drawing all of his flames to his right side, he pounced. Using his right foot as a rocket and his left as an anchor he charged, right arm reaching forward. Nenos didn''t have enough time to react and took the blow, straight to the shoulder; his right arm could not play any other role in this battle. As his body flew from the impact he gripped his right arm, he couldn''t heal it here not with so many watching. His plain gave off a duller glow compared to Agni''s so Nenos wasn''t as certain to where the plane was in proportion to the ground. Either way the time was ticking down and he wouldn''t last another one of those attacks straight on.


    Agni rocketed towards Nenos as soon as Nenos held his arm. Agni would leave no room for error in this match. He was ready to bring down his fist to Nenos''s head and deal what would be in this match the final blow. However, as he approached Nenos at his tremendous speed Nenos fell to his back and curled his legs in to point his target upwards. Kicking the right side of Agni with his wind magic he was spun like a top through the air. At his speed it would take him time to re-adjust himself. Nenos used this time wisely he formed his wind magic to his legs, the air forming a steady vacuum like pressure, as he leaped first extended. Agni only saw for a moment through the whirling he was doing before the first landed squarely on his jaw. His body went limp from the pressure as he landed like a sock puppet on the ground.


    Nenos simply floated down his arm still in pain from the match, his left hand had been shattered and his right arm was cracked. He looked over to the body whose plane had shone so bright, and turned away. His plane landed on the ground a short distance away and the agony increased by tenfold. His breathing heavy as he reached down to the plane. His pain slowing his hand as he lifted it to his heart. Like a key it slid right in, right where it belongs. He could feel the wind again, and his breathing less forced. He made his way to the tunnel, trying not to limp. Yelling of anger directed at him, the barrier cube taking all the items thrown at him. He walked into the tunnel, and simply collapsed.

 The Waters Demon

    Nenos awoke, wet towel on his forehead, his head in her lap. He gave a slight chuckle, moving his right arm to take the towel off his face.


    "You just always need to take advantage of the situation. Don''t you Abigail." He stated, eyes starting to focus to the lobby''s dim light, brushing her caesious, greyish-green, hair out of his face.


    "And you always just have to overdo it, no matter the situation!" She said, snarky, looking down to his head examining it thoroughly. Her hands running over his forehead multiple times, as her head got close to his. Nenos just stayed still, yawning and closing his eyes. Abigail put her hand on his chest examining it. Nenos''s breathing was normal, his body showed no signs of damage from the last fight. As far as a medical eye could tell. Abigail pinched his arm.


    Nenos just rolled his eyes, "Ouch. That hurt."


    She increased the pressure, skin going white between her fingernails. Prompting a reaction from Nenos.


    "Ouch!"


    "That''s what you get for being sarcastic."


    "Okay, Okay, now stop pinching me."


    She stopped, she needed to make sure of the damage done to his legs had fully healed. She took out a hammer, held it high above her head, and then slammed it towards his knee with all the strength she could muster. Without opening his eyes, Nenos let out some magic from the back of his knee slamming it with equal force to the hammer. Both the hammer and his knee forced the other away from each other.


    Abigail let out a sarcastic sigh. "Dang, I thought I could make you scream again."


    "You know trying to slam my knee with a hammer does get a little old."


    "You''re right, next time I need to chisel it!"


    Nenos sat up, shaking his head back and forth, "That''s not what I meant."


    "Well regardless, you¡¯re ready to go. Hope you have enough stamina for this last match though."


    "I''ll have to hope." Nenos sighed looking to the communication cube, projecting the screen.  His eyes glued to the screen, Abigail couldn''t tell if it was worry or rage that burned in them. There she was, his younger sister Kreine.


    The arena''s dust wafted the air, the stone seats lined with people. The last match had thrown the crowd into frenzy, the people of Esdule¡¯s worry was greatly noticed by the stench of sweat that hung in the air. As the cube''s projected screen showed the two combatants¡¯ names and pictures.


    A man walked out of the west side of the arena, every step he took seemed to make a small earthquake. His arms and legs were easily the strongest out of the combatants, but as the audience had seen from the flare boy, strength can easily be misjudged. His hair was like the earth itself, a corbeau color that looked to fit a leaf''s demise. His eyes were sturdy as he watched her enter from the other side of the arena.


    "There she was The Water Demon, that seemed to be the most appropriate name for her," Nenos thought annoyed by her entrance to the arena. Her hair was a long Indigo that glistened in the sun, no sign of sweat was visible near her. She skated to her starting position stopping to twirl to the audience. No one in the crowd would show any sign of anger that she had made it to this point. No, they were too afraid; the stories that had preceded her were so strong they could easily scare children to stay quiet.


    The referee jumped into the center, his black and white pants absorbing the audience¡¯s tension. He needed to show nothing of fear, even if the audience could. He cleared his throat and screamed into the mic. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now time for the semi-finals to end with this match. On the west end we have the majestic lady of Kaiyaen Household, Lady Kreine! And of the east end of the arena we have the one simply known as Gul! Contestants may I please have your planes!"


    Even as the referee finished the sentence, he could feel sweat dripping down his neck. Kreine and Gul approached putting their hands on their chest to produce the small paper airplane. As they lifted them high into the air it became clear to the arena how much this match could mean. The stench of sweat from the audience poured in as their eyes bore down on the planes. Gul''s green plane looked just like a kite, it would fly consistently through the match, but his magic would not get as much of a boost from its speed. Meanwhile the audience stood in shock from Kreine''s plane; its blue color absorbed the sun as they saw that her plane was much like Agni''s from earlier. It was a straight plane, but had tips pointing out of it, her magic would be able to peak and slow during the match, a huge advantage vs Gul. She wouldn''t have long to use it however, so she had to make sure it didn''t hit the ground before the match was over, else without magic the demon would be defenseless.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.The contestants walked back to each of their respective positions. The planes vanished from the referees hands, pulled toward the sky. The timer began to count down, "3.... 2.... 1.... BEGIN!"


    The planes started to glide and the difference in magic was obvious. The whole arena seemed to drop in degrees as ice spread from Kreine''s feet. Gul wasted no time either, his foot dug into the dirt, kicking a slab of the arena straight at Kreine. She simple skated away, filling the arena with more ice. Her body rushing toward Gul at full speed, but just as she reached her target, fast as she had crossed the distance, he had fallen into the crater that he had thrown at her. She had charged straight where he was confident that her speed was fast, but her body was quickly thrown to the air the second she could see what was happening. Gul had simply waited to feel the cold from her feet in the earth to kick it up. Kreine didn''t fret however even being sent sky high was nothing new to her. She simply waited for the next move of her opponent. It wasn''t long before Gul¡¯s fist had burst through surface trying to surprise her.


    "One good hit is all I need." Gul had thought, unfortunately for him he got to see firsthand why she was called the water demon. As his fist pierced the rock, where Kreine should have been, there was nothing. He looked confused as he heard a call from his right.


    "Hey rock head." She called pointing down, to his leg.


    A slight nick he had gotten while waiting for the perfect time to launch her started to freeze. By the time he could realize his right leg was completely frozen, draining his body heat. He didn''t have time to think as gravity had taken over the slab. He pushed it away, but was pulled with it. Kreine had used ice as glue to the rock. By the time he had realized what was happening, his body landed on the ground. His right leg shattered from the impact, he stared in horror as she approached him hand extended, as if offering to help him up. He turned crawling away, hands digging into the dirt as if swimming, throwing rocks back behind him not turning around to look at her approaching. The last thing he remembered was a cold had touching his back, as his body went limp.


    Kreine just looked toward the ref, as she walked over to the center. Her plane gently glided down into her hands, as she held it towards her chest, bringing it back into her heart.


    Nenos just looked to the ground, "Another boost to her ego." he said in a slight whisper, trying to hold back the rage. Another thing she''s accomplished, another match she''s won, another smile of pure cruelty.


    Abigail put a hand on his left shoulder, making sure the fake skin would not peel, "Hey, at least you get your chance to finish what was started back then."


    He let out a slight chuckle, "Let''s hope I can make it back without any more scares would be nice." Then with a sigh "Be prepared, if I am able to beat her then the Kaiyaen household will be looking into all our activities, if they haven''t already." The intermission from the last match was almost over; Nenos raised himself up, and walked directly into the tunnel.

 The Noble Bastard

    Click. Clack. Click. The sound of Nenos''s heavy steps filled the hall. His sweat beat down his neck harder, even without the sun. He saw the light at the end of the tunnel and wanted to run. He wanted to flee, run away like he had before. But he couldn''t, so instead he began to pretend. Pretend that he wasn''t scared, that his blood wasn''t cold in this warm heat, like the sweat beating down his neck had nothing to do with his opponent, like the cruel things that would happen if he got captured didn''t exist, like his breathing was consistent.


    The dust filled his nose as he entered the arena, he wished he could cough to get it out of his lungs, but in front of her, he could show no weakness. Her smirk was obvious, even from his distance line. She stood in that pose, arms to her sides, head slightly tilted to look down on him. He meets her gaze, trying to fill his eyes with fire to fight back the water''s pressure. The arena was silent; not one but two newcomers were in the final place. One crimpled the flame prodigy and one seemed to rip poor Gul to shreds. They looked between the two looking for signs on weakness, for something resembling attachment, for something their King could use should either get to him. Instead the only offer to the silence was the ref, his pants and goofiness were the closest hope they had of attachment, and he could feel it.


    The ref walked to the center instead of jumping this time. Tensions were high, if he spooked anyone there would be a mob coming for the arena. He needed to keep their focus on the match and make sure no one did anything hasty. He cleared his throat, "This is the final match folks! The champion will be decided here and now. To the east, we have the Wind pilot Nenos! To the west, we have the majestic lady of Kaiyaen Household, Lady Kreine! Contestants please come to the center of the arena!"


    Pretend not to be afraid. Nenos kept repeating in his head. He could not look to his arms and legs, only straight ahead. But can I win, limited as I am. Nenos quickly tried to push the thought out of his head. His body was moving forward at a consistent pace, staring straight into her eyes. Her smirking face commanded the power between the two. His body wanted to tense, to run, he knew how crazy she was, his body still held the scars. They were facing eye and eye, ref in the middle. Nenos put his hand on his heart summoning his plane, when Kreine grabbed the microphone, and said "Ladies and gentlemen we have a special final match for you here today. It''s a classic fight of brother vs sister, for the crown!"


    The audience stood in shock hearing this, their blood seemed to grow cold. The final two contestants were BOTH from the Kaiyaen household. They stared at the ref, as he turned mouth open to Nenos. Pretend the cruelty didn''t exist. She kept going on taking the spotlight she adored so much. "That''s right folks, the wind Pilot Nenos is actually the bastard son that ran away, Luc!" Pretend you¡¯re not scared. Kreine simply handed it back to the ref whose mouth gaped. Nenos stated threw gritted teeth "Start the match; it looks like I have something to settle with my sister." He placed his yellow plane in the ref''s hand and walked back to start. The audience¡¯s reaction was almost immediate as they through things at the barrier cube in a rampage. They would be hard to control for long.


    Kreine watched him walk, his back to her, he would have never done that before. "Hmph!" she scoffed placing her plane in the ref''s hand and walking back to start. Time seemed to fade away, like a blackout before the counter started. The crowd was now quieted after multiple people had been thrown out. They knew the consequences for being so rowdy, trying to disturb the games were punished harshly.


    The counter began to tick down. "10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!" Turn the fear to rage, and strike her down. "0!"


    The environment changed instantly.  Showing of her magic Kreine formed a pure sphere of magic in her hand, she slammed it to the ground of the arena forming ice on the entire floor, and cracks formed up the walls. She looked up at Nenos, just standing there glaring. Fear to rage, fear to rage He made a small hop and landed lightly on the ice.


    "Oh looks like you aren''t as useless if you managed to dodge that." Kreine snarked.


    Fear to rage; fear to rage, FEAR TO RAGE! Nenos breathing became heavy, pushing the wind out of his lungs. His rage seemed to fill the arena, as he stood facing his sister once again. He leaped to the air, hands and feet out stretched. His magic formed spheres under his feet, and in the palm of his hand. His wrath directed straight at Kreine.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "You little piece of shit, you still want to pull on strings, but you¡¯re never ready for the consequences. Are you Demon Girl?"


    Kreine couldn''t take that, Nenos knew that much. Pretend you don''t notice anything. That thought crossed his mind. This had to be where he fought back. Time to return the pain tenfold! The spheres of wind made snowflakes as he hovered above them.


    That comment had sent Kreine over the edge, as she skated like a blur on the ice. She made a blizzard behind her, much to the dismay of the audience. Nenos charged his spheres kept him perfectly balanced on the ice. They clashed at the center, snowflakes from their explosion.


    "So you finally want to die, brother!" Kreine stated as the clash sent Nenos flying back. His light weight was a disadvantage as he hit the wall with a large SMACK!


    Kreine skated towards the wall yelling, "You try to look all tough, but that''s an act isn''t it. Pretend you can take all the pain in hopes that it will go away." She punched his gut, obviously enjoying the pain he was in. As his body began to freeze from her hit, he summoned the wind magic at his legs to flip up, grazing her chin with his kick.


    "Oh, looks like you aren''t going to scream as easily this time."


    He detached himself from the wall; his stomach had a thin layer of ice. Abigial had stated not to use his tattoos, hidden under fake skin. He needed to find another way. He had to use the magic he had. At this state all the damage Kreine did would be permanent. He shot straight at Kreine with a kick, the wind magic pushing his leg at higher speed. She simply skated back, watching Nenos with curiosity like a cat. His muscles tensed his forehead sweat with the idea "Can I even hit her at this speed." He had to take the chance. He charged in with another kick, but this time purposely missing, as his hand touched the ice, he pushed wind magic increasing his velocity and landed a kick to her chest. Sending her flying for once.


    The audience gasped, the water demon had never been directly damaged before now, and the one who damaged her was the bastard son, Luc.


    Her anger was instantly visible as she instantly sent shards of ice at Nenos. Nenos saw them heading straight for him and stood strong, he put his hand in a cup over his mouth and blew a force of wind out of it, sending up a wall of snow flakes, and redirecting the shards. As they landed on the ice, he realized just how much of a disadvantage he was at, as a hand of ice grasped his legs.


    Kreine took advantage of the situation she had created, as he freaked out over the ice around his legs she would charge, if she touched him he would turn to an icicle. His silhouette formed from the sun beating down as she rushed him at such speed he wouldn''t be able to hit her before she did the damage.


    At least that''s what she thought before his hand wrapped around her collar a second before she could attack him. Nenos reeled his head back, wind magic forming behind his head. THUNK!  Blood ran down both their skulls. Kreine was stunned, no one had ever been able to attack her at her max speed; yet somehow this bastard had been able to. Her azure eyes saw it then, his silver eyes, were pure gold. He dropped her from his grip for one-third of a second, as stunned as she was she didn''t dodge the two spheres of wind headed straight for her head. The magic encircled her head and began to form a variety of cuts, as she looked like a thousand needles had grazed her face. She fell to the ground, the grounds ice began to fade, as Nenos stood there above his sister, her hair cut from his magic, hardly any of her long hair was left. His plane landed, as his magic faded completely. He kept watch on her; he couldn''t take any chances, so with a hard kick he hit her gut. No response. Her plane had landed as well, if that didn''t get a response, he would be safe.


    The ref counted down from ten, until he had reached zero. The silence filled the room, as Nenos walked over to his plane the back ends had become slightly straighter. He hoped no one had noticed. He put the small plane back inside of him. The ref raised Nenos''s hand to the sky; the victor of the tournament was the bastard son, Luc.